babe, i'm comin home...

well i'm already here.. actually have been here for a few days..

i flew seoul, to van, van to toronto.. and got into kincardine around 2-3am.. i can't really remember because i crashed fairly hard on the ride home.. i was snagged my customs in vancouver.. in their defense i do look like a drug mule ( i asked around).. the rest of the flight was ok.. i got sat beside a navy officer on the ride back who insisted on buying me beer.. it helped me sleep at least.. but seriously air canada.. 5 bucks for a beer.. sheesh..

i have been really busy, or so it feels like it to me.. as well as really jet lagged.. the first couple of days i was having 6 hour naps in the afternoon.. i would eat lunch, lay down, and they would wake me up for dinner.. it's nice being taken care of.. laundry done, fridge stocked with my food.. doritos always in full supply.. though my eyes seem to be bigger than my tummy.. i'm working on stretching it out though..

i have been chilling with nan and pops.. saw gramps a few times and have been down to the courts almost everyday.. each day i suck a little less which is nice.. it's so frustrating sucking at something you didn't used to suck at..

i have cried twice.. once when i crawled into bed with blake to say hi for the first time in a year.. his response was to "stop leaking until tomorrow".. another time when i saw megs for the first time.. dave, her bf didn't recognize me..

when i got off the plane, i got my luggage and walked out to the arrivals.. i was expecting to see my whole family.. i invisioned slow motion running, someone spinnign me in the air.. instead i see noone.. i walk around a little bit, feeling a little sad and worried, and then i see russ and chris with flowers :) they had surprised me at the airport.. it was cute.. i eventually saw the rest of my family (sans frere) but noone hugged me.. they didn't even say hi.. they just stared at me.. it was like they were afraid of me or something.. anyways, nice of everyone to come down, but a strange moment all the same.. in their defense it was late, and they had been waiting for hours..

i'm in the khole until the 6th.. then am heading to sarnia to see grandma, then to the tennis and then hopefully to london to stay with russ for a few days..

that's all for now.. time for a nap..

much love

on the road again

here i am. i'm at the airport in incheon at a net cafe. normally it costs about 60 cents/hour but here it's 3 bucks. i went out with some friends last night for my last night. because we booked my bus ride so late i had to catch the 7 am one, which means i was picked up at my apartment at 6 am. i left as early as i could from the shindig and got home around 2ish. i still hadn't completely packed so i did that, and talked to scotty on the phone. crashed for an hour, woke up, and said goodbye to joanne and marla. i just finished the 5 hour bus ride which was entirely too cold (and of course my sweatshirt was in my suitcase). i dropped my stuff off to storage as fast as possible and am now chatting online to kill the 6 hours i have at the airport. perhaps i will try to find some bibimbap. i'm gonna miss it.
i'm also told that there is a sauna somewhere in the airport so maybe i will try to go there too. i can't think of a better way to end my contract than to chill with some naked old korean ladies.

Alright, some random pics before I come home. Dax and I at New York, New York.
This is at my going away party. Marcus, Me, Mel
This picture makes me pee my pants. The unintentional "Blue Steel" look by Dax.
Mel and I.
Some of the Jisan girls. Frickin cute they are.

Dax and Ben.

Today is my last day at work. Hopefully it will be a good day. I am almost all packed up but am still waiting on my last months pay and passport. eek.

Hanging out with Mel for our last night together for a month! So sad.

2 days

2 days until i come home.

i am sitting on my bed in my apartment right now surrounded by suitcases and boxes. things are starting to come together. i'm a little sad to be living my tiny little home, but am really excited to go home and am excited to come back to korea after that. today is megs bday, in korean time. so that's exciting. i'm happy that i will get to celebrate with her in a couple of days!

not excited for the long plane trip though. i'm thinking of drugging myself with gravol for the entire trip.

cheers.

7 days

so i'm stressed. my contract is ending, and all i can see infront of me are loose ends. plane ticket, packed up apartment, banking, itinerary for vacation, shopping, immigration docs, contract... i would like to check any if not all of these boxes so that i could feel as though i've at least begun to prepare for my homecoming. i fear that these stresses are starting to overflow and i'm beginning to become.. dare i say it.. bitchy.. i definitely was on the phone this morning with dad (sorry, i know you're just excited.. it was just the combination of being stressed and woken up early morning korea standards) and i know i am with other people here. sadly, all i want to do is be happy and fun in my last days in this location. tonight is the going away party for marla, eun-ae, sang won and i so hopefully i'll be able to blow off a little steam.

when the plane ticket is in my hand i will send out an email letting you know the dates and locations of jennys canadatastic tour.. i welcome all groupys who would like to accompany at any and all stops.. i'll need people to spritz my face with evian and to throw themselves on top of puddles so i can safely pass by..

high expectations?

me?

never.

hopefully 2 more weeks

so, nothing has been planned yet.. but that's the way of korea it seems..

on a side note, some kid set off fireworks in our hallway.. the foreign teachers are the only ones to have any kind of reaction.. but again, that's the way of korea..

this weekend everyone i know and their mother is going to something called mudfest.. it's basically a huge party, on a beach, with mud.. it actually sounds pretty fun, but i want something slower paced.. at least something a little more relaxed that sleeping muddy on a muddy floor with 28 of my muddy friends.. the peer pressure to go is enormous though, and though i love the feeling of being wanted, i want to hike a frickin mountain! plus there's always next year.. i only have 2 weekends left until my holiday so i should do something somewhat cultural.. at least that's how i'm justifying it.. plus it's good to save money.. and then the next weekend i'm gonna try to head to seoul

anyways, off to eat some pizza with the co-workers!

peeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaccccccccccccccccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

oh and by the way.. i've decided not to bring any souveniers home.. i'm staying for another year, and i started thinking about what to buy for some people, but then didn't want to exclude anyone.. so i'm your present.. deal with it! if you complain i'm going back to korea, crying, with my tail between my legs.

the rainy season.. bleck

so i'm sure that once the insane heat begins i will pray for the rainy season again but right now all it's doing for me is screwing me out of my daily hikes.. yesterday i had such good intentions.. i took the hour long bus ride to gatbawi, only to have it begin to storm.. so i had to turn around and ride another hour home.. that's just how i wanted to spend my afternoon.. on a packed bus, with a driver who couldn't stop jerking.. and drunk ajosshis banging up against me.. of course all with mel laughing at me in the corner..

then we decide to go to her place, watch a terrible movie, eat some pizza and go out dancing.. but we ate too much pizza, felt sick and ended up staying in.. it's sunday now, and raining even harder than yesterday so it seems that all i'll get to do is go out for lunch..

i have however begun to pack.. i'm not that sad about it like i usually am.. although i like my apartment.. it is the first space that is solely mine.. and i will be coming back.. to a different place.. but i have learnt to embrace change..

speaking of which, i dyed my hair purple, by accident here, but it was nice to have a different colour other than brown.. i was sure that the kids would hate it.. "teacher, how can you possibly contribute to society with purple hair?" .. but they love it.. and are requesting different colours now.. sigh, it's quickly fading though..

18 more days!!